NeXTSTEP OS 3.3 Upgrade

NeXT Computer, Inc. -> NEXTSTEP / OPENSTEP Software

Title: NeXTSTEP OS 3.3 Upgrade
Post by: vogtstev on May 30, 2008, 03:34:14 PM
Greetings!!  I just landed a NeXTstation N1100.  I am super pumped.  I also have a 1.0a cd.  I've been looking on here for a long time and my apologies if I missed the questions I am asking, but here it goes:

1. The machine doesn't have a cd-rom with it, but i think I can get an old Apple cd-rom.  I still however do not have a boot-disk.  I saw on Apple's website and here where I can download 3.3 bootdisk (correct?)  Will these 3.3 disks work with my cd that I have of 1.0a?  

2.  If I download the image to my intel mac how can I get them to floppy?  Do I have to use the dd utility like on linux?

3.  I heard that there was some type of upgrade offered for previous NeXT hardware owners to upgrade the OS.  How do I take advantage of that, does it apply to me or is this something I misread.  I am not looking to pirate anything, but if there is a free option I definitely like that better than the pay option.  :-)

Thanks for any ideas guys!!!!  This is awesome!!
~Steve
Title: Re: NeXTSTEP OS 3.3 Upgrade
Post by: neozeed on May 30, 2008, 06:49:58 PM
Quote from: "vogtstev"Greetings!!  I just landed a NeXTstation N1100.  I am super pumped.  I also have a 1.0a cd.  I've been looking on here for a long time and my apologies if I missed the questions I am asking, but here it goes:

1. The machine doesn't have a cd-rom with it, but i think I can get an old Apple cd-rom.  I still however do not have a boot-disk.  I saw on Apple's website and here where I can download 3.3 bootdisk (correct?)  Will these 3.3 disks work with my cd that I have of 1.0a?  

Yes you can download the m68k (NeXT black hardware) boot disks as a matter of fact, here is the 3.3 boot disk:

http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/MultiCountry/Enterprise/nextstep/floppyimages/3.3_Moto_Boot_Disk.floppyimage

Quote from: "vogtstev"
2.  If I download the image to my intel mac how can I get them to floppy?  Do I have to use the dd utility like on linux?

I like dd, and since you have an intel mac, you have dd as well!  Open up the Terminal.app, and you should be able to make the dd image, assuming you have a USB floppy disk.  No I haven't tried it, but I would imagine the driver for USB floppy disks is still there... Otherwise you'd need a PC.  Keep in min you *WILL* need a SCSI floppy drive to boot this on your cube.....  At one point I was wondering if it were possible to boot a black box from an intel... I suspect it should be possible.  But that leads down the emulation of 3.3 on an intel box, or just installing on a white box (nearly impossible now)..


Quote from: "vogtstev"
3.  I heard that there was some type of upgrade offered for previous NeXT hardware owners to upgrade the OS.  How do I take advantage of that, does it apply to me or is this something I misread.  I am not looking to pirate anything, but if there is a free option I definitely like that better than the pay option.  :-)

You are after the y2k update, in which NeXT allowed all black hardware users to move to NeXTSTEP 3.3 patchlevel 3 for free.  OpenSTEP is *NOT* a free product.  As far as I know Apple doesn't distribute NeXTSTEP to users anymore..  Outside of searching various p2p networks I'm not sure if there is a 'legit' method of getting the 3.3 media, but as a black machine owner, you are entitled to it...


Quote from: "vogtstev"
Thanks for any ideas guys!!!!  This is awesome!!
~Steve

You are welcome, I hope this helps a bit.  I've heard that if you dd the CD image to a hard disk, the black hardware will infact boot off that image, and allow you to install normally.  I almost could test, but to be honest, my cube is working well, and I don't want to play with it.

Best of luck in the land of NeXTSTEP!
Title: NeXTSTEP OS 3.3 Upgrade
Post by: neozeed on May 30, 2008, 06:51:05 PM
Wait, I think the stations did have floppy disks?!  If so you don't have to go thru hell tracking down a scsi floppy drive.... just dd that disk image, and then it'll run the boot program which then can load the kernel from the CD.
Title: NeXTSTEP OS 3.3 Upgrade
Post by: pentium on June 14, 2008, 12:33:49 PM
Wait, sorry to go a little off topic but you have a cd-based copy of NeXTStep 1.0a?

Go to top  Forum index